The Endless Note

There was a sense of real anticpation for the highlight of this years series of concerts in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust held at the Royal Albert Hall last week because The Who hadn’t performed Tommy since 1989.

Anticipation filled the air as Roger Daltrey led his own touring band through the performance of “Tommy” plus some other Who classics and solo material, the big question was would Pete Townshend make an appearance…..of couse he would.

There have been so many questions flying around concerning the future of The Who. How bad is Pete’s hearing? Would The Who ever tour again as a band? Would they ever, indeed, play together for the occasional gig, the aswer will without doubt be yes but who knowns when and who knows where.

Teenage Cancer Trust has just announced the line-up to its 11th annual week of music and comedy gigs at the Royal Albert Hall.

The highlight for fans of The Who will be a special performance on Thursday 24 March by Roger Daltrey of The Who’s 1969 rock opera “Tommy” the album of which has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for ‘historical, artistic and significant’ value.

On Tuesday 22 March, Squeeze will mark the 30th anniversary of their seminal album “East Side Story” in true South East London style.

Since reuniting in 2007, Squeeze have undertaken 4 sold out tours of the US and UK and have become firm festival favourites with hits like Up The Junction, Tempted and Cool For Cats. Special guests will include long-time friends and collaborators, The Feeling. Watch out for some surprise guests too.

Fresh from a February tour of the US and Canada, Scottish rock trio and Brit Award nominees Biffy Clyro will play their first UK date of 2011 on Wednesday 23 March.

On Friday 25 March, Liam Gallagher (ex-Oasis) will perform with his new band Beady Eye

On Saturday 26 March, Editors will perform their first 2011 live gig, ahead of co-headlining Spain’s SOS 4.8 festival with Suede at the end of April.

MOBO Award winning rapper Tinie Tempah will play the grand finale on Sunday 27 March. The breakout star of 2010, the most nominated artist at this year’s Brit Awards, will play hits from number one album Disc-Overy, which includes chart topping singles Pass Out, Written in the Stars, Frisky and Miami 2 Ibiza.

WHAT THESE GIGS ACHIEVE

“These gigs have raised nearly £10 million in 10 years,” says longstanding Teenage Cancer Trust patron Roger Daltrey CBE. “They make a real difference to the lives of thousands of young people with cancer. We’ve had both legends and rising stars play for Teenage Cancer Trust over the years and 2011 is no different. I’m truly grateful to everyone for their support.”

“Music plays a huge role in most young people’s lives,” says Simon Davies, CEO of Teenage Cancer Trust, “whatever they are going through, and it’s a big part of Teenage Cancer Trust. We’re immensely proud of these gigs, which help us raise the money we need to give young people with cancer access to the best possible care and professional support.”

There will be a limited amount of tickets available to fan club members via a presale. All ticketing details will be confirmed very soon.

Concerts for Teenage Cancer Trust at The Royal Albert Hall are supported this year by Nomura and American Airlines. Nomura, the global investment bank, supports Teenage Cancer Trust as its London charity and has raised over £800,000 in under two years. American Airlines will be providing transatlantic flights for the show’s artists.

Every day six young people in the UK are told they have cancer. Usually placed on a children’s ward or with elderly patients, young people often feel extremely isolated when facing a cancer diagnosis, never meeting another young person going through the same thing. Teenage Cancer Trust believes teenagers shouldn’t stop being teenagers because they have cancer. So we fund and build specialist units in NHS hospitals that allow young people to be treated together with others their own age, in an environment suited to their needs.

For more information about Teenage Cancer Trust, go to their website by CLICKING HERE

Roger Daltrey has joined other stars, including Ricky Gervais, Joanna Lumley and Wayne Rooney, and donated a signed canvas to a special celebrity charity auction in the UK.

The Willow Foundation and British artist, Julie-Anne Gilburt, have teamed up to create an exhibition of 20×20 cm canvases, each created by a different star. Well known faces from the worlds of sport, art, design, fashion, music and entertainment have drawn on their artistic skills in aid of the charity.

The result is a fun, colourful and enlightening exhibition at the Catto Gallery, Hampstead, which will be open to the public from 2 to 5 December 2010. More than 200 canvases will be sold online through an eBay auction, starting on 26 November, with bidding closing on 5 December 2010.

Like this:

Rock legends The Who are to perform alongside Jeff Beck, Blondie singer Debbie Harry and The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft in a charity concert against cancer.

The stars will appear at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London, on January 13, 2011 to raise money forKILLING Cancer, a charity that funds research into little-known cancer treatment Photodynamic Therapy (PDT).

PDT, which involves making cells more sensitive to light before exposing them to laser light, could help to treat cancers and precancerous conditions near the surface of the skin or internal organ linings.

The event has special significance for The Who, whose manager Bill Curbishley said he had witnessed a number of friends going through the last days of cancer.

“Only later we discovered that PDT could perhaps have saved their lives – and certainly given them some dignity in their final weeks,” he said in a statement.

The Who have performed to raise awareness of cancer before. In March the band joined up with Arctic Monkeys, JLS and Noel Gallagher to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall in London.